Hi, I have been having cats all my life,I spayed/neutered over 50 stray cats and I always try to find them home and I adopted 3 kittens in the past 5 years and Now the worst thing could happen is my 2 y.o son has asthma and the cats trigger the asthma badly. We went to the ER 2 days ago. I can't imagine if I have to give away the cats I love. I am crying all the time when thinking about it. Can someone help me? Please give me an advise. I need to act asap. Do you know someone who truly loves animals who would take them? I need help. Please advise with anything. I am so depressed.

Monkas

February 13th, 2013 12:34 PM

and just want to add if there is a way I could keep my cats I would. Any advise would appreciate.

P.S. I also give a lot of money for donations each month and I helped animals all my life. I am this kind of a person who hates people because they are cruel and they just make animals suffer and most people are not educated that THEY NEED to spay neuter they animals. That is why I can not believe now this is happening to me and I hate my self for that but I will try to do my best...not sure how. I need your help with advise.

sugarcatmom

February 13th, 2013 01:51 PM

Sorry you're having to face such a terrible predicament. Can you get several high quality HEPA air filters and place them in the main rooms where your toddler goes? What about confining the cats to one part of the house (maybe with access to an outdoor enclosure so they spend less time inside)?

marko

February 13th, 2013 01:56 PM

I'm really sorry to hear this Monkas.
I know a few adults that still choose to keep their cats even when they have asthma. There are sprays and pumps that can help deal with the symptoms.

I don't have children - so I do not know what i would do in your situation. I guess it would depend on how bad the asthma is and in what situations do "attacks" happen. Is this asthma new? how often are the attacks? does something specific trigger the attack? Are some attacks more severe than others?

If I did have children and the asthma was severe enough that i had to "make a choice" , as much as I love animals, the animals would lose..... but maybe the answers to some of the questions might spark some ideas for other members. maybe increased bathing and brushing and restricting their access to certain rooms can help.... just throwing out possibilities.

Please know that as much as we want to help, pets cannot be posted for adoption on this forum. Of course you are free to PM those members in rescue that may have leads for you.

I hope members have additional suggestions for you :fingerscr :goodvibes:

Monkas

February 13th, 2013 02:13 PM

Thank you for your replies. It means a lot to me.
He has been having difficulties breathing for more than a year but I always though this was because he was every second week sick due to going to a daycare. The night we went to the ER his breathing was so bad when i heard him, within seconds I was out of the apartment heading to the ER. It was so scary...
This is his first serious attack. They prescribed him a pump.

In regards to our apartment we only have 2 bedrooms(1 bedroom is very small) and 1 living room. If we had a house it would be a different story.

I will be buying the filters for sure.

Any other advise will be greatly appreciated.

marko

February 13th, 2013 02:25 PM

If you don't mind my asking? which pump?
Depending on the severity of the asthma, a corticosteroid like flovent can help prevent attacks and ease breathing. Then a pump like ventolin can be used as needed for "attacks".

Again, I do not know if this is suitable for a child of 2, but I do know of adults whose asthma is well controlled using this regimen.

If your son sleeps alone in that second bedroom, if possible, for now at least, imo, it would be wise to keep the cat out of that room 100% of the time.

Monkas

February 13th, 2013 03:01 PM

They prescribed him Ventolin, I need to see on the box if it has another name added to Ventolin as they may be different kinds. I just didnt look at it in details yet.

Our cats don't go at all in the room where my son sleeps and it has been like that for over a year.
My son also has food allergies and twice we have rushed in the ER for that.

Cats stay mainly (probably 80% of the time) in the living room and in the kitchen and sometimes they choose to enter the other bedroom. They are free to go anywhere except my son's bedroom. :(

Monkas

February 13th, 2013 06:37 PM

The pump they prescribed him comes with apo salvent.

pattymac

February 13th, 2013 07:31 PM

I read somewhere once that wiping the cats down several times a week with distilled water helps keep the dander down. You don't have to bathe them just wipe their fur off. Maybe try as dust free a litter as possible as well.

Monkas

February 14th, 2013 06:32 PM

[QUOTE=pattymac;1053805]I read somewhere once that wiping the cats down several times a week with distilled water helps keep the dander down. You don't have to bathe them just wipe their fur off. Maybe try as dust free a litter as possible as well.[/QUOTE]
Thank you for your advise. :angel:

marko

February 15th, 2013 09:20 AM

In terms of dust free litter...not the cheapest but we use [URL="http://www.yesterdaysnews.com/"]yesterday's news[/URL] and there is almost no dust at all.

serenamlambe

February 16th, 2013 07:39 AM

Hi Monkas

Just wondering, do you have carpet in your apartment? When I was younger, I had a lot of allergy and breathing issues. We had a dog and the doctor thought we shouldn't have one, due to my issues. Instead, my parents took up all the carpet in the house. This didn't cure me, but it made a drastic difference. I still have dogs to this day and, as long as I vacuum/sweep often and have no carpet, I'm able to live with them no problem :)

Just an idea!

Serena

Etown_Chick

February 16th, 2013 08:10 PM

As one with asthma and horrible cat allergies, I can relate.
I know you love your cats, but your child has been suffering for a year. You just took him to the ER. Asthma kills, especially young children whose respiratory systems are not fully developed.
My advice?
GOOD QUALITY, large hepa filters all over - in every room. Why not just in the child's room? Because you all get hair/dander on your clothes and carry it all over the house.
Remove all carpeting. This will help your child immensely, whether you keep the cats or not.
Get a vacuum with the best possible filter and vacuum often.
If you have cloth covered furniture, vacuum it a lot. Leather is so much better.
Ventalin is great for treating asthma attacks. All medications have an effect on the body - if nothing else then at least on the livers/kidneys that have to filter. To me, they are the last resort, not the first.
Please do your best for teh child, as I am sure you will.
Good luck to you, and I hope you find a way to keep your kitties

Monkas

February 18th, 2013 01:31 PM

Hi, Thank you for all your advises.:)

We dont have any carpets in the apartment. Not even a small one. Its all wood. I just bought a Hepa True air purifier and I am not sure what exactly it does as I dont see a difference but I am sure it does clean the air. I vacuum every day and I clean the dust, I will be going soon to the hospital to our doctor for a full examinations so we see what is causing exactly the heavy breathing.

Barkingdog

February 18th, 2013 02:35 PM

[QUOTE=Monkas;1053954]Hi, Thank you for all your advises.:)

We dont have any carpets in the apartment. Not even a small one. Its all wood. I just bought a Hepa True air purifier and I am not sure what exactly it does as I dont see a difference but I am sure it does clean the air. I vacuum every day and I clean the dust, I will be going soon to the hospital to our doctor for a full examinations so we see what is causing exactly the heavy breathing.[/QUOTE]

Do you have curtains in all your windows, the cats dander will also be on the curtains too, and if they have a favorite window to look out the curtains would need to cleaned more often.

Monkas

February 18th, 2013 05:04 PM

[QUOTE=Barkingdog;1053956]Do you have curtains in all your windows, the cats dander will also be on the curtains too, and if they have a favorite window to look out the curtains would need to cleaned more often.[/QUOTE]

We dont have curtains in the apartment, however we have blinds. Do I have to clean them as well? They are this kind [URL="http://www.westsideblinds.com/office.htm#location1"]http://www.westsideblinds.com/office.htm#location1[/URL]

Barkingdog

February 18th, 2013 06:44 PM

[QUOTE=Monkas;1053961]We dont have curtains in the apartment, however we have blinds. Do I have to clean them as well? They are this kind [URL="http://www.westsideblinds.com/office.htm#location1"]http://www.westsideblinds.com/office.htm#location1[/URL][/QUOTE]

It would help to wipe them off ,blinds do get dusty and I read cats dander get onto everything in the house. In the summer pollens will get on the blinds and windows and screens and they should wiped off too. My sister has asthma and she can't have any flowers in her house.

Etown_Chick

February 18th, 2013 08:03 PM

Monkas good for you. Sounds like you are doing your best. Hope all goes well with the doctor